Would you Do Things Differently if you had 5 Years to Live?
I tell you what I wouldn’t personally change much. Why? Because I have spent years grafting, curating and taking calculated risks to follow my gut on what truly sets my soul on fire. I take the risks because I live through this mindset.
Moving away from the normal paths (totally fine if you do) to truly live on your terms. So if you want change and you keep finding yourself in the same loop hole time and time again then you need to step into discomfort, make hard decisions, take the blow and know better things are coming for you.
I ask you this question as it cuts deep and forces you to really evaluate your life. What you’re happy with, what you would like to try. When you take away the idea that you’ll live forever (because we won’t) it can help you make more decisions that align with you and not of what everyone else thinks that you should do.
Here's 5 mindset shifts I used to help me then start taking action on the next steps...
#1 Regret would hurt more than failure
Failure I can learn from. Regret will stay with me forever.
I always fall into these TikToks that speak to all kinds of people and the ones I really tune into are the ones where the question is to an 80 year old asking them is there anything you regret in life. You know what the answers were that came back?
“I would travel more”
“I would take more risks”
“I would ask that person out”
“I try living in a new place”
Nothing ever regretted were the things that were tried. So this is my advice to you. Stop not doing the things because you’re scared. Do the things, figure it out and do it whilst you’re scared. Keep doing the things your future you would thank you for.
#2 What's the worst that can happen?
We live in a world that there is an idealism of perfection. To obtain and achieve goals is to reach the final destination. Well my friend. I can tell you that there is no complete destination. It’s like mountains, you reach one mountain summit and then you look into the horizon and there’s so many more to climb.
So instead of getting blocked and freaking out of all the things that could happen. Write your list. What are the top things that you are scared of happening that will happen to you if you take this risk, make that change or next step.
When you write them down you can rationalise them. When we rationalise and realise that we’re not going to die, we may just not achieve big straight away in society terms we know that we can handle what we face and move on. We get comfortable with the worst.
I left my job and life of comfort and ease to choose the hard path. I know what it takes and I know what you will go through and experience. My worst (and it’s not that bad) was I would be living with my parents after years abroad and next level independence to not earning a lot. Reality checks we face. I reached both those points (I love it with my parents to be honest - it just wasn’t forever). When I reached an extremely low point it forced my hand. Do you want to give up? Do you want to give it everything you’ve got?
I needed that low point to reignite the fire in my belly!
#3 List out all your fears and work through overcoming them
Rationalising them. What's the worst that could happen.
I had about 20 fears written out (i'll have to find that picture I took of it somewhere). When I wrote them down I realised they weren't as bad as I thought. Whatever came onto my plate I knew and said to myself 'I CAN HANDLE THIS.'
Fear is one of the biggest things and reasons as to why you're not achieving what you want. You're used to sitting in the passenger seat. It's time to take control and not negotiate anymore on the things that you want and can do.
#4 I am strong enough to get through whatever comes my way
Brings me onto point 4. You've gotten this far - you can get through anything. Trust your gut, follow the energy and what you can truly achieve.
If you don't know - ask. Surround yourself with people that elevate you and challenge you. With people who are doing more than you and where you want to be. Those people will change your world.
The other day I started Jiu Jitsu - I had done it before with my ex a little. But thrown in the deep end (looked after) but surrounded with big, strong guys and I was grappling with them. My third session I walked in and saw a pro female MMM fighter - she's insane. At first I was like holy crap - then I sat with myself and went if you're going to learn anything she is who you want to be your training partner.
No matter how scared you are - do it anyway. We're all here to learn, advance and become better versions of ourselves. You want to be a lion, play with the lions.
#5 Sometimes you've just got to rip the band aid off
Overthinking will cripple you. There's a fine line between planning & being as ready as you possibly can
Change is not a place of comfort.
You'll face more discomfort than you've ever felt before. Why? Because you're challenging everything you've ever known until this point. Some changes will be more extra than others. You'll feel it that's for sure.
You can only prepare so much for the unknown. The biggest part of this step is taking that step to elevate you and trusting yourself to the next level. You will never be fully qualified... take the leap and learn.
So in short if you looked at your life in 5 years time would you like it to look and feel different? If the answer is yes - then make that change.
In the wise words of James Clear, “Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity. This is one reason why meaningful change does not require radical change. Small habits can make a meaningful difference by providing evidence of a new identity. And if a change is meaningful, it is actually big. That's the paradox of making small improvements.”
For more daily wisdom and nuggets of change follow me on Instagram @lizziewrighty or if you want to be coached by me - book in your call by clicking here and let’s chat.
